American badger

The American badger (Taxidea taxus) is an animal usually found in the Great Plains area of North America.

Badger Temporal range: Pleistocene – Recent
American badger
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Carnivora
Family:	Mustelidae
Subfamily:	Taxidiinae
Genera
Taxidea

It looks similar to the European badger, but it is not closely related to them. It is found in the western, central, and eastern United States, northern Mexico, and south-central Canada.

The American badger's habitat lives in open grasslands eating prey (such as mice, squirrels, and groundhogs). The badger likes areas such as prairies with sandy loam soils where it can dig easily for its prey. They are found in many places from high alpine meadows to sea level.

American badgers are excellent diggers, and can tunnel rapidly through the soil using their powerful forelimbs.

Badgers are carnivorous. Unlike many carnivores that stalk their prey in open country, badgers catch most of their food by digging. They can tunnel after ground-dwelling rodents with amazing speed.

American Badger Media

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  Badger Seedskdaee National Wildlife Refuge 01 (13676648114)

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  American Badger (Taxidea taxus) more common in the eastern part of the state of Oregon. Photo courtesy ODFW

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  Taxidea taxus USFWS New Mexico

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  American Badger (Taxidea taxus) photograph courtesy of Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Badgers occur in Oregon, east of the Cascade Mountain Range, in areas where prey is abundant. Although primarily nocturnal, this animal was photographed during the day.

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  American badger sitting near burrow

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  American badger skull

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  American badger at Omaha's Henry Doorly Zoo

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  Badgers can be found in the sagebrush deserts of eastern Oregon